What did the apartheid government use to justify the establishment of Bantustans?

The apartheid government justified the establishment of Bantustans primarily through the concept of "separate development." This ideology posited that different racial groups in South Africa should develop separately in their own designated areas or homelands, which were referred to as Bantustans. The government argued that this approach allowed for the cultural and political autonomy of the black population, asserting that each group could govern itself in a separate territory.

The premise of separate development was deeply intertwined with the oppressive policies of apartheid, leading to the displacement of millions of black South Africans as they were forcibly moved to these designated areas. The apartheid regime claimed that these homelands were intended to provide black citizens with self-governance, although in reality, they were largely deprived of resources and true political control.

Other options, while they touch on themes related to governance and economy, do not directly encapsulate the rationale that the apartheid government used for Bantustan creation. Political unity did not apply because the system was designed to fragment the population rather than unify it. National sovereignty was a term that could potentially describe the government’s rationale but was not the primary justification used in policy terms. Economic independence was a factor but was overshadowed by the overarching principle of separate development that was used to legitimize